The San Diego Padres are likely to be at least somewhat active during the 2025 Winter Meetings, especially when one considers how relatively quiet they’ve been up to this point in the offseason.

Among a host of other needs, first base remains a glaring hole on the roster. A loaded free-agent market at the position could yield an upgrade over the Luis Arraez-Ryan O’Hearn duo the team ran out to the cold corner in 2025, but budget constraints could push the Padres to look toward the trade market.

If that proves to be the case, the Tampa Bay Rays stand out as an obvious partner. They live in penny-pinching mode, which could prove a boon to the Padres if they make 34-year-old first baseman Yandy Diaz available.

I love Yandy Diaz!

That’s all I wanted to say. pic.twitter.com/KUf7hVg8UL

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) November 21, 2025Yandy Diaz could be perfect short-term first base solution for Padres

The Padres, who are also in the market for Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, would be thrilled to welcome Diaz and his 135 wRC+ to the middle of their lineup in 2026.

ESPN ranked Diaz as the 15th-best player on the trade block this offseason, though they assigned him just a 25% chance of actually getting dealt. That makes sense given his importance to Tampa Bay, but with just one year and $12 million remaining on his contract (plus a $10 million club option for 2027), the Rays could look to extract value for their veteran slugger now before letting him test free agency.

Notably, ESPN also listed the Padres as the top suitor for Diaz, which also makes a ton of sense. He hit .300/.366/.482 this past season with 25 home runs, and he’s been worth at least 2.9 fWAR in three of the past four seasons. He played mostly as a designated hitter in 2025 due to his declining defensive metrics (-7 Outs Above Average) and the emergence of Jonathan Aranda, but his bat is prodigious enough to justify taking up most of the DH at-bats in San Diego.

Crucially, due to his age and lack of team control, Diaz shouldn’t cost much in terms of prospect capital. The Padres’ farm system was decimated at the trade deadline, and they simply don’t have the means to pull off another blockbuster trade. Red flags though there may be, Diaz would bring star-level hitting to the Friars for a marginal cost.

Of course, if the Rays have plans on going for it in 2026, they may not have much interest in moving their long-tenured slugger. But if A.J. Preller can grease the trade wheels at the Winter Meetings, the fit between player and team is hard to ignore.